Romanus Nwabara (60) was among three physically-challenged persons arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for drug trafficking during interdiction operations in Anambra and Kwara states.
This was revealed in a press release, on Sunday, by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on the activities of the agency in the past week.
Based on credible intelligence, Nwabara was, last Wednesday, traced to Akpaka Forest, Onitsha, Anambra State where he was found with 250grams of skunk in retail sachets.
NDLEA officers arrested another physically-challenged person, Amos Kenneth (25), in a different raid at Ogbunike area of the same state.
Kenneth was caught with 160.3grams of Tramadol 225mg and 100mg; 80 pills of Diazepam; 38.23grams of Exol 5 and 176.93 grams of skunk.
The last of the three physically-challenged persons, Usman Salisu, was arrested, last Friday, by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu, Kwara State.
Salisu was arrested as a passenger in a commercial vehicle and, in the course of a search, 6.3 kilograms skunk concealed in a brown school bag was found on him.
Meanwhile, operatives of a Special Operations Unit in NDLEA, last Friday, raided a Lekki, Lagos mansion used as a stash house.
Recovered from the stash house, located at 36 African Lane, Lekki Phase 1, were 4,000 parcels of Loud, a strong strain of imported cannabis weighing 2,326 kilograms with a street value of over ₦5.8 billion.
Also seized from the house were two Mercedes Benz buses and different designer sachets used in packaging the illicit substance for retail distribution.
Emmanuel Osita Okeke (38) was arrested with 129kg skunk at Nyanya Karu, Nasarawa State, last Monday.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Okene/Lokoja Highway, Kogi State, last Friday, intercepted a white commuter J5 bus heading to Abuja.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 76 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 766kg and the arrest of three suspects– Mathew Omohove; Ebuka Desmond and Babangida Musa.
In an operation at Ijora Badia area of Lagos, NDLEA officers, last Wednesday, raided a makeshift skuchies production factory where two suspects– Bose Jamiu and Gbenga Gege– were arrested.
They were caught in the act of cooking cannabis and mixing same with other illicit substances, while a total of 270 litres of already produced skuchies and 106grams of Tramadol 225mg were recovered from them.
With the same zeal, NDLEA commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities, among others in the past week.
These included enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Ta’al Model Secondary School, Lafia, Nasarawa; Federal College of Education, Ilawe Ekiti;
Traditional rulers in Udi LGA, Enugu; Adventist Secondary Technical College, Owerrinta Isialangwa LGA, Abia; Golden Anchor Secondary School, Shomolu, Lagos;
Mary Hanney Secondary School, Oron, Akwa Ibom; Mallam Ibrahim Islamiyya School, Rano, Kano; Isemi-Ile Grammar School, Isemi-Ile, Kajola LGA, Oyo State, among others.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), has commended the officers and men of the SOU, Anambra, Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa and Lagos commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures.
He noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitisation activities, and charged them and their compatriots across the country to maintain the current tempo.
